Platform system for servicing aircraft landing gear

Claim 2

In an apparatus for servicing large aircraft having a frame including wings and having undercarriages with wheels depending from said frame, there being a plurality of main undercarriages and a nose undercarriage, said wheels being positioned in a predetermined pattern, said apparatus including a floor area, walls defining vertical openings in said floor area which openings, in a horizontal plane, encompass said pattern, a plurality of platforms in said openings respectively, there being one such platform for each main undercarriage and a platform for the nose undercarriage, hydraulic ram means for each platform, positioned within the respective opening and below the respective platform, said ram means being operable to raise and lower the platform, the improvement comprising: said power means including manually operable control means for dictating when the rams are to be raised and lowered, a plurality of vertical sockets in the floor area about said openings, fence means about said openings, and having posts releasably received in said vertical sockets, said control means including a sensor in at least one of said vertical sockets and having a first condition when there is a post in that socket and a second condition when there is not a post therein, said control means being ineffective to dictate the raising and lowering of the rams when the sensor is not in the first condition.

Claim 3

In an appAratus for servicing large aircraft having a frame including wings and having undercarriages with wheels depending from said frame, there being a plurality of main undercarriages and a nose undercarriage, said wheels being positioned in a predetermined pattern, said apparatus including a floor area, walls defining vertical openings in said floor area which openings, in a horizontal plane, encompass said pattern, a plurality of platforms in said openings respectively, there being one such platform for each main undercarriage and a platform for the nose undercarriage, and said main platforms defining specific locations thereon for the positioning of said main undercarriages, a vertically moving hydraulic ram for each main undercarriage platform, positioned within the respective opening and below the respective platform, said ram being secured to the underside of the respective platform and operable to raise and lower the platform, each said ram being below approximately the center of the load imposed on the respective platform by the respective main undercarriage positioned at the respective specific location, means including a hydraulic ram for vertically moving said nose undercarriage platform and being below and secured to the nose undercarriage platform, the improvement comprising: the main undercarriage platforms comprising a left wing gear platform, a right wing gear platform, a first clearance platform between the wing gear platforms and adjacent the left wing gear platform, a second clearance platform between the wing gear platforms and adjacent the right wing gear platform, said wing gear and clearance platforms being approximately in a straight line transversely of the aircraft, a left body gear platform having at least the main portion thereof rearwardly of the first clearance platform, and a right body gear platform having at least the main portion thereof rearwardly of the second clearance platform, the two clearance platforms having their inwardly ends immediately adjacent each other, each clearance platform having its rearwardly side with a generally U shaped configuration with the respective body gear platform having its forwardly end extending within said U, the forward inwardly corner of the body gear platform defining a transfer section, means detachably connecting said transfer section to the body gear platform whereby the transfer section may be released from the body gear platform, and means for detachably connecting the released transfer section to the respective clearance platform, whereby the clearance platforms may be used for supporting the body undercarriages of another form of aircraft.

Claim 4

In an appAratus for servicing large aircraft having a frame including wings and having undercarriages with wheels depending from said frame, there being a plurality of main undercarriages and a nose undercarriage, said wheels being positioned in a predetermined pattern, said apparatus including a floor area, walls defining vertical openings in said floor area which openings, in a horizontal plane, encompass said pattern, a plurality of platforms in said openings respectively, there being one such platform for each main undercarriage and a platform for the nose undercarriage, and said main platforms defining specific locations thereon for the positioning of said main undercarriages, a vertically moving hydraulic ram for each main undercarriage platform, positioned within the respective opening and below the respective platform, said ram being secured to the underside of the respective platform and operable to raise and lower the platform, each said ram being below approximately the center of the load imposed on the respective platform by the respective main undercarriage positioned at the respective specific location, means including a hydraulic ram for vertically moving said nose undercarriage platform and being below and secured to the nose undercarriage platform, the improvement comprising: the main undercarriage platforms comprising a left wing gear platform, a right wing gear platform, a first clearance platform between the wing gear platforms and adjacent the left wing gear platform, a second clearance platform between the wing gear platforms and adjacent the right wing gear platform, said wing gear and clearance platforms being approximately in a straight line transversely of the aircraft, a left body gear platform having at least the main portion thereof rearwardly of the first clearance platform, and a right body gear platform having at least the main portion thereof rearwardly of the second clearance platform, the two clearance platforms having their inwardly ends immediately adjacent each other, each clearance platform having its rearwardly side with a generally U shaped configuration with the respective body gear platform having its forwardly end extending within said U, the forward inwardly corner of the body gear platform defining a transfer section, means detachably connecting said transfer section to the body gear platform whereby the transfer section may be released from the body gear platform, and means for detachably connecting the released transfer section to the respective clearance platform, whereby the clearance platforms may be used for supporting the body undercarriages of another form of aircraft.

Claim 5

An apparatus as set forth in claim 2 including a pit with a cover so located that the cover forms a part of the floor area immediately in front of the adjacent ends of the two clearance platforms.

Claim 8

An apparatus as set forth in claim 4 including a pit with a cover so located that the cover forms a part of the floor area immediately in front of the adjacent ends of the two clearance platforms.

Claim 9

An apparatus as set forth in claim 4, including walls extending downwardly from said floor area and defining an opening for receiving the nose wheel platform, the walls defining the opening being elongated in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of an aircraft whose main undercarriages are at said respective platforms; a carriage located in said opening and movable parallel to said axis, said nose undercarriage platform being mounted on said undercarriage for movement therewith, said nose undercarraige platform occupying only a portion of the length of the opening; and removable cover means for the remainder of the length of the opening.

Claim 10

An apparatus as set forth in claim 6, wherein said carriage includes a frame, wheels on said frame for supporting the frame for said movement parallel to said axis, said frame having vertical portions with the nose platform being between said portions, said portions having vertical rows of sockets, dogs on said nose platform and aligned respectively with the rows of sockets on said portions, said dogs being movable to enter and retract from the sockets of the respective row, and power means connected to the latter dogs for so moving said dogs.

Claim 11

An apparatus as set forth in claim 7, wherein the power means for the nose platform includes a scissors lift mounted on the carriage frame, said nose platform being mounted on the top of the scissors lift.

Claim 12

An apparatus for use with a fork lift truck having a fork with a pair of tines spaced a given distance apart and as set forth in claim 6, wherein the removable cover means has a pair of links mounted on the top thereof, said links being movable with respect to the cover means between extended and retracted positions, said links, when in the extended positions, being spaced said distance apart and positioned to receive said tines so that the fork of the truck may be inserted therethrough and used to raise the cover means.

Claim 13

An apparatus as set forth in claim 4, including means for defining an opening in the floor forwardly of the adjacent ends of the clearance platforms.